1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for managing information of a RFID tag for reading and writing information from and into a RFID tag which is capable of communicating information to/from the outside by wireless communication, an apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag and a cartridge for including at least a RFID tag equipped in the system for managing information of a RFID tag, a RFID tag issued by the apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag, and a RFID information reader for reading information from the RFID tag.
2. Description of the Related Art
RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) systems permit a compact RFID tag and a reader (reading device)/writer (writing device) to read/information to be written therebetween in a non-contact fashion, as is known in the art.
A RFID circuit element contained in a label-shaped RFID label comprises an IC circuit part for storing predetermined RFID tag information, and an antenna connected to the IC circuit part for transmitting/receiving information. Since the reader/writer can access RFID tag information in the IC circuit part (for reading or writing information) even if the RFID tag is soiled or is positioned at a site at which the RFID tag is invisible, the RFID systems have been increasingly applied to practical use in a wide variety of fields such as asset management (see, for example, JP,A,2004-295406), document management in offices (see, for example, JP,A,2001-216308), name plates attached to clothing on the chest of personnel (see, for example, JP,A,9-245138), and the like. The RFID systems have also been increasingly applied to practical use in a wide variety of fields such as commodity management, inspection process, and the like.
In this event, since an IC circuit part of the RFID circuit element does not have a large storage capacity, i.e., is limited in storage capacity, it is a general tendency that predetermined identification information (tag ID) is stored in the IC circuit part, while article information itself on an article associated with the tag ID is stored in a separate database. Then, a reader reads the identification information from the RFID circuit element associated with an object, for example, and the database is searched for the article information on the object based on the read identification information.
An example of such a conventional RFID system is described, for example, in JP,A,2001-147770. In an information processing system described in JP,A,2001-147770, a reader (base station) installed in each sales counter of an establishment is connected to a database and a server installed at a remote location from the establishment through a communication network. As a reader (radio station) reads a tag ID of a RFID tag attached to each article displayed in each sales counter of the establishment, the tag ID is transmitted to the server. The server searches information stored in the database based on the tag ID, and retrieves a variety of article information (article catalog information, inventory information, sales record and the like) on the article associated with the tag ID. The article information on the article thus retrieved is processed in a predetermined manner based on instruction signals entered by a sales clerk from a portable operation terminal held by him and input into the server through the base station at each sales counter.
While the RFID labels have a variety of applications as described above, the RFID labels are issued, for example, by feeding an elongated tag tape which contains RFID circuit elements at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction (or sequentially supplying laminar tag sheets) and feed out the tag tape to sequentially transport the RFID circuit elements one by one. During the transport, predetermined RFID tag information generated in an apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag is transmitted to an antenna of each RFID circuit element through an antenna of the apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag to sequentially access (for reading or writing) RFID tag information in an IC circuit part of the RFID circuit element connected to the antenna, thus completing RFID labels.
In recent years, the RFID labels have been used in increasingly wider applications, so that the RFID labels are preferably tailored by the apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag described above for use in any of a wide variety of applications in a simple manner. However, any apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag has not been manufactured in consideration of this aspect, leading to a low usefulness for the operator.
However, even if an apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag provides a wide variety of RFID label issuing functions to support wide applications of RFID labels, the apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag is often used only for a fixed particular application (function) by a different user, or with tapes having different tag attribute parameters (for example, a tape width and the like) and communication parameters (for example, a communication protocol and the like), when the operator actually issues RFID labels. In this event, the operator is forced to perform tedious operations for selecting a particular one from the wide variety of functions, and therefore experiences difficulties in issuing an intended RFID label.
As described above, the RFID tag is often handled with a target article or object in a label form (i.e., RFID label) (for example by attaching or adhering, or including the RFID tag to or in the article). In this event, information related to tag information, article information or the like may be printed on the label separately from the tag ID stored in the RFID circuit element, permitting the user to conveniently view the related information. Accordingly, in recent years, the development of an apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag is in progress for issuing a printed RFID label by reading/writing information from/into a RFID circuit element and additionally printing a print on the label.
In this apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag, a label material such as a tap which has RFID circuit elements arranged thereon at predetermined intervals is fed out from a roll based on an operation instruction signal from the operator to issue RFID labels, while an IC circuit part of each RFID circuit element is accessed to read/write the tag ID. Subsequently, a predetermined print is printed on each label, thereby sequentially issuing RFID labels.
In one attempt, the information processing system described in JP,A,2001-147770 may be applied to the apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag as described above, wherein that apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag, server, database, operation terminal are interconnected through a network, such that the tag ID read/written from/into the IC circuit part is related to article information in the database. In this event, as an operation signal from the operation terminal is input to the apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag, the apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag accesses the IC circuit part of the RFID circuit element to read/write the tag ID by a tag access function, and prints corresponding information to be printed on the RFID label by a printing function. Also, the apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag generates a query signal based on the tag ID to the data base through the network, and a reply signal (search result or the like) is supplied to the apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag through the network.
However, when the external database is accessed through a network communication from the apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag which simply has the tag access function and printing function, the access to the database is likely to be affected in smoothness depending on a particular network communication environment, causing difficulties in providing smooth, rapid, and reliable RFID tag information management.
Also, when there are a plurality of databases, one of which should be queried by the apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag based on a tag ID, the apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag cannot identify the database corresponding to the tag ID, and accordingly must query these databases one by one. As such, the apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag experiences difficulties in readily and rapidly accessing a database which stores information corresponding to a target RFID circuit element for retrieving the information.
As described above, the conventional RFID systems described above fail to readily access information stored in a database, permit each operator to readily select a particular RFID label application (function) desired by the operator, and smoothly and rapidly issue RFID labels and communicate with the issued RFID labels when RFID labels are issued by the apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag.